Base-ball mitt.



W. P. WHITLEY.

BASE BALL MITT. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 4, 1911.

1,045,232, Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

INVENTOR MILL/HM R WH/TLEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cov, WAsHlNuTpN. n. C.

' TED STATES PATENT ric WILLIAM P. WHITLEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 RAWLINGS MANUFACF TUBING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

BASE-BALL MITT.

'appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a base ball mitt of my improved construction with a portion of the back section of said mitt broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view looking against the inner face of the back section of the mitt and showing an auxiliary back piece in proper position on the heel portion of said back section.

This invention relates to the heavily padded mitts used by base ball players, particularly catchers, the object of my invention being to construct a mitt which can be readily opened at the heel portion to permit of adjustment or rearrangement of the original padding, or for the purpose of introducing additional padding.

In the use of base ball catchers mitts, the continuous heavy impact resulting from the ball striking in the ball pocket in the palm of the mitt and against the heel portion of the padding therein, tends to pack and compress the padding in the heel portion, thereby reducing the same in thickness and in a measure destroying the efficiency of the mitt as a protection to the hand. When the padding thus becomes packed or compressed, it is necessary to open the heel portion of the mitt by removing the lacing between the back section and the edge strip or by ripping or cutting a considerable amount of stitching in order to insert additional padding or to re-arrange the old padding. This operation is more or less inconvenient, involves considerable time and labor and very often alters the shape of the mitt and its padding.

To overcome the objections above noted, I propose to construct a mitt with an auxiliary back section which is so arranged as tohold the padding in proper shape in the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 4, 1911.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 663,874.

heel of the mitt and to provide said mitt with an opening at its heel portion whereby access may be readily had to the space within the interior of the mitt beneath the auxiliaryback section thereof for the purpose of adjusting or re-arranging the original padding and to permit the insertion or removal of a supplemental padding in the palm portion of the mitt and which opening is normally closed by a portion of the back section of the body of the mitt.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a form of catchers mitt now in general use, 1 desig nates the palm section, 2 the edge strip, 3 the back section and 4 the finger and thumb back section which is stitched to the back section 3 in the usual manner. The edge of the back section 3 is attached to the upper edge of the edge strip 2 by a suitable lacing 5.

Formed integral with the heel portion of the back sect-ion 3 and extending rearwardly through the hand opening between the back section 3 and finger section 4 is a flap or extension 6 the lower edge of which is provided with a series of fastening devices 7 which are adapted to be attached to mating parts located on the heel portion of the edge strip 2. These fastening devices 7 may be of the ordinary ball and socket type ordinarily used upon mitts, or if desired, hooks and eyes or any well known fastening devices which can be easily and quickly connected and separated can be used.

8 designates an auxiliary back section which occupies a position immediately beneath the heel portion of the back section 3 and the edges of the ends of this auxiliary back section are fixed in any suitable manner to the edges of the heel portion of the back section 3 to the sides of the flap or extension 6. This auxiliary back section is for the purpose of holding the padding in the heel portion of the mitt in proper shape and when the flap or extension 6 is open, said auxiliary section forms a support for the padding adjacent the opening into the space within the body of the mitt. The rear edge of this auxiliary section 8 between the sides of the hand pocket between the back section 3 and the linger section 1 is attached to the upper edge of the corresponding portion of the edge strip by the lacing '5, and this portion of the lacing is normally covered by the flap or extension 6 which extends downward over the heel portion of the edge strip 2.

lVhen the fastening devices 7 are detached and the flap or extension 6 is pulled upward, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, an

opening is formed between the rear portion of the back section 3 and the auxiliary section 8, which opening leads into the padded space between the back section 3 and palm section 1, and thus access may be readily had to the padded interior of the mitt for the purpose of adjusting the position of the padding or for the introduction of additional padding in case the original padding becomes compressed and packed down by reason of the constant impact of the balls against the palm of the mitt. Vhen additional padding is placed in the palm portion of the mitt it is positioned beneath the auxiliary section 8 and is thereby held in proper position across the heel portion of said mitt. \Vhen the flap or extension 6 is normally positioned and the devices 7 are properly fastened, a perfectly smooth surface is formed for the hand of the wearer of the mitt and the hand is protected against contact with the eyelets and the lacing between the rear edge of the auxiliary section 8 and the corresponding portion of the edge strip 2.

It will be readily understood that the minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved mitt can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a baseball mitt of the class described, a palm section, a back section, an edge strip connecting the edges of said palm and back sections, a body of padding between the palm and back sections, a padding retaining tion, of a padding retaining member lying across the heel of the mitt immediately over the padding therein, and a flap integral with the back section of the body of the mitt, which flap normally overlies the lower portion of the padding retaining member and is detachably connected to the heel portion of the mitt below the opening therein.

3. In a baseball mitt of the class described, a palm section, a back section, an edge strip connecting the edges of said palm and back sections there being an opening through the heel of the mitt between the palm section and the corresponding portion of the edge strip, a body of padding between the palm and back sections, a finger and thumb back section attached to the back section, a flap on the heel portion of the back sect-ion, which flap extends rearwardly, the lower edge of which flap is detachably connected to the heel portion of the edge strip, and a padding retaining member lying across the heel portion. of the mitt immediately over the padding therein and beneath the flap on the back section, the rear edge of which padding retaining member is attached to the adjacent edge of the edge strip.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. this'12th day of October, 1911.

W'ILLIAM Pf lVI-IITLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

portion of the edge strip 

